Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Homes on the Water that can Moor a 40 Foot Boat or Larger.

Many people that arrive in Sarasota, who may have never had any interest in boating, soon discover that they want to have a boat because there is so much to do on the water. Others who are looking at Sarasota, and who love boating, are looking at Sarasota because there are many places you can moor a boat larger than 40 feet. That is the topic of today's article: Finding places where you can keep a large boat in the water. I will discuss locations from St. Armand's Circle down to the south bridge on Siesta Key that are ideal for large boats.

I want to start in the downtown area.  Bird Key is an ideal place for boats that are over 40 feet in length.  The outside of the island, while more expensive, has no problem handling large vessels.  The water is deep and the lots are typically 150' wide, enabling an owner to keep a very large boat moored at their dock.  The interior canals are also very good, too.  The houses are less expensive, but the canals are wide and deep.  The lots are also wide.  There are some canal front homes that are now around $1,000,000.  Houses on the exterior start much higher, usually over $1.7 million.

Moving to the west from Bird Key is the water on the east side of St. Armand's Circle.  Most of the water is very deep and there is no problem getting larger vessels in and out of the coves.  Anywhere on the east portion, whether it is north or south of the Ringling bridge, is good water. Google Map offers a great view of this water http://maps.google.com/maps?f=s&ie=UTF8&ll=27.315197,-82.562857&spn=0.015138,0.045319&t=h&z=15.

As you move further south, towards the north end of Siesta, 90 percent of the homes that are on open water have excellent water access for a large boat.  As you head out towards the gulf, Bayou Louise, is the last place where docks are allowed for mooring boats.  There are also several canals on the north end of Siesta where a large boat can be stored and is more protected than on the bay.  See link http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=27.304463,-82.552192&spn=0.00757,0.022659&t=h&z=16.

To the east, north of the Siesta Key bridge, you can find protected water on the Hudson Bayou, in Harbour acres and south into Cherokee Park.  Further south gets iffy as the water is quite shallow.  Follow the link http://maps.google.com/maps?f=s&ie=UTF8&ll=27.318304,-82.542944&spn=0.007569,0.022659&t=h&z=16.

Moving south of Siesta Key bridge, there are many superb places for boat mooring.  Either east of the bridge or west provide spots for large boats.  Roberts Bay is a very protected bay that can easily handle a boat over 40 feet and it is a wide body of water.  There are many good spots along the western shoreline as you move south on Siesta Key.  The house values are also better. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=s&ie=UTF8&ll=27.294681,-82.552257&spn=0.00757,0.022659&t=h&z=16

On the east side, there are many great spots.  Heck, there are even a few condos in Tidewood where a large boat can be kept and the values are great.  There are many canals in Aqualine Estates.  Stanford, Ridgewood, Baywinds and Meadowood are all nice canals.  Only downside is some of the canals are not very wide.  It makes turning around a challenge. Most have been dredged and can handle nice sized vessels in spite of the width challenge. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=s&ie=UTF8&ll=27.265464,-82.538695&spn=0.015144,0.045319&t=h&z=15

One lot, in particular, that is on the bay that has good water is a listing at 1616 Baywinds.  With southern exposure and views of the bay, this 12,000 foot lot has water that is nearly 5 feet deep. it is a perfect lot to build on and is priced at under $645,000.  It is one of the best deals on the bay in Sarasota.  You can view it on my website at http://www.discoversarasotarealestate.com/.  See an aerial view here http://maps.google.com/maps?f=s&ie=UTF8&ll=27.265464,-82.538695&spn=0.015144,0.045319&t=h&z=15.

There are also several nice mooring spots on Hollywood Ave.  Another nice lot is nearly 1/2 an acre and is bank-owned.  It has western exposure in the back and very nice water.  The lot is listed for just under $800,000.

That takes care of Bird Key to the middle of Siesta Key.  Next week I will look at spots from the south Siesta Key bridge down to Blackburn Road bridge.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Rates are Still at Historically Low Levels

Rates on mortages have been falling since the spring as investors have poured money into Treasuries.  It is hard to tell if that trend will continue, but the rates for 30 year loans have been hovering around the 4.2% for some time now.  If you want to read more about how you can take advantage of these historic rates read more at http://www.floridarealtors.org/NewsAndEvents/article.cfm?id=248891.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Nothing Like Fishing in and Around Srasota

One of the many reasons I love Sarasota is not only the beautiful, clear water, and the great weather, but also the fishing.  Having been here for such a long time, you might think that I have been doing it for as long as I have lived in Sarasota.  Not true!  My love for fishing has only truly evolved into a passion over the last three years or so.  I never had time and it always took so much time to get ready and get out on the water.  Heck, even with a boat, I hardly ever made it out to experience some of the great fishing that Sarasota has to offer.

That all changed when my dear friend, Jay Crouse, asked me if I wanted to go down to Boca Grande for the day to fish with Captain Eddie, a guide who is familiar with the waters around Pine Island, Boca Grande, and the mouth of Charlotte Harbor.  I was all in.  I had been tarpon fishing many years ago with John Schaub, but it was at night and there wasn't much to see in the Boca Grande Pass.

We left the dock at 7:30a.m. and for the next 30 minutes I saw some jaw-dropping views of the water around Boca Grande, Gasparilla Island and some of the smaller islands in the harbour.  Our first stop was on a  grass flat where the trout were on our hooks nearly every cast.   From there, Captain Eddie took us to the mouth of the pass where the snook are up near the shoreline where the trees line the water. We caught lots of snook  over the next two hours and took our limit as we pulled anchor and moved to the very eastern portion of the harbour.

On the Pine Island side of the bay, we cut through water about 8 inches deep to reach our destination.  It was there that my excitement reached a fevered pitch as we were about to embark on some real fishing.  Eddie wanted to introduce me to red fish.  For the next 3 hours we got into a mess of red fish.  I had never seen so many fish. I was having a blast!!!!

After that day, I promised myself that I would make it down to fish with Eddie at least 2 times a year and I would also get out on my own boat to do some fishing.  I have failed to live up to the promise on my own boat, but you can beat I have been out at least twice-a-year with Captain Eddie.

If you are interested in fishing with Eddie, he can be reached @ 941.815.0009.  You won't be disappointed.

Next week I will talk about places to fish in Sarasota.